The present invention relates to flexible magnetic disk packs; in particular it relates to improved vented spacer means therefor.
As workers in the art are well aware, flexible magnetic disk records, or floppy disks, are becoming increasingly popular, especially as used for data storage with data processing systems (in particular as "floppy" disk packs). "Floppies" became commercially significant in the 1970's, offering a low cost medium, with more acceptable "access time" (e.g., as opposed to magnetic tape systems).
"Floppy disks" can serve as a "unit record" medium that is compact, light, and is readily transported, stored, and bundled, interchangably wiht other like disks. They may be fashioned from well-known polyester sheet material (e.g., the familiar polyethylene terephthalate used for magnetic tape) with a magnetic coating thereon--this plastic being simply cut into the shape of a circular disk with a central mounting hole to accommodate the familiar drive spindle. Such a "prior art" floppy disk is well known to workers and is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,640, filed Aug. 4, 1976 entitled "Partitionable Portable Flexible Disk Pack", by Herbert U. Ragle and Dean DeMoss commonly assigned herewith and hereby incorporated by reference herein to the extent relevant.
The present invention is directed toward improving the functioning of a pack of such flexible magnetic disks, as collected into a "floppy pack" and rotated at high rpm-- in particular by intoducing improved "bi-part oppositely scalloped" spacer means. Such spacer means is adapted to accommodate automatic pneumatic partition means employed to split the pack and expose any selected disk surface for Read/Write operations. An improved "floppy disk pack" according to the invention will be seen thus rendered--one particularly adapted for such partitioning, using surprisingly simple means and methods, as described hereinafter.